Quincy Police to increase patrols, limit access to Houghs Neck for July 3 bonfire party

Wednesday

Jul 2, 2014 at 6:00 AM

In hopes of making this year's July 3 celebration safer on Houghs Neck, police plan to beef up their presence with more patrols and undercover officers Thursday night, and the Norfolk County Sheriff's Department will set up a command center next to LaBrecque Field. Also, police will close more roads around the beach and will temporarily shut down the MBTA bus that serves the peninsula.

Patrick Ronan The Patriot Ledger @pronan_Ledger

QUINCY – Police said the July 3 celebration on Houghs Neck used to resemble an old-fashioned block party and it was attended only by the Neckers, their family and friends.But in recent years, Police Chief Paul Keenan said the crowds have swelled to as many as 5,000 revelers, many of them teenagers and young adults coming from other cities and towns looking to party. And the larger crowds, Keenan said, have brought more underage drinking and public disturbances.

In hopes of making this year’s holiday celebration safer and less rowdy, police plan to beef up their presence on the Neck with more patrols and undercover officers Thursday night, and the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Department will set up a command center next to LaBrecque Field. Also, police will close more roads around the beach and will temporarily shut down the MBTA bus that serves the peninsula.

“We’re hoping to keep it to a neighborhood event instead of an event for everyone in Boston and the South Shore,” Keenan said.

Every July 3, Houghs Neck residents light a bonfire on the beach off Edgewater Drive and crowds gathers along the private waterfront properties to watch Weymouth’s fireworks display, which is set off across the Fore River at George Lane Beach. Since the advent of social media, Jim McCarthy, president of the Houghs Neck Community Council, said more people from other towns have started crowding the Edgewater Drive area on the night of July 3, creating a rowdier environment.

“The kids put it up online (that there’s a beach party in Houghs Neck), and you have kids coming from Brockton and from the North Shore, as far away as Revere,” McCarthy said.

Leading up to this year’s celebration, a group of Houghs Neck residents met with police and fire department officials to discuss ways to limit the crowd sizes and thwart potentially dangerous activity. Keenan said there will be more police officers visible Thursday night on the Neck, and officers will search more backpacks and will arrest minors caught with alcohol.

The MBTA’s “216” bus won’t run through Houghs Neck from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday because police will shut down a portion of the route. Keenan said in past years swarms of teens have used the bus to get to the Neck on July 3.

“It has gotten so big that it’s a public safety issue,” Keenan said.

The T bus to Germantown will operate as usual Thursday night. The Houghs Neck service will resume at about 10 p.m., shortly after Weymouth’s fireworks display ends.

Public safety officials are also taking more precautions with the Houghs Neck bonfire. Quincy’s fire department has told local residents they have between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today to stack clean wood at the site of the fire, and all painted, pre-treated and potentially hazardous burning materials won’t be allowed. After 8 p.m., a police detail will be stationed at the pile around the clock to make sure no more items are added.

“People used to just show up with truck loads of whatever and throw it in,” Keenan said.

Patrick Ronan may be reached at pronan@ledger.com or follow on Twitter @PRonan_Ledger.